The idea of participating in the Bangkok marathon was planted by my friend at the Sundown marathon expo in May. As the family has not been to Bangkok, I thought it a good idea to combine a family vacation with a marathon. Needless to say, the political situation leading up to this weekend was trying, and as things turned out, we were left stranded in BKK until now. (Another story for another time.)
I was in two minds about this race. On the one hand, as it was a night run, starting at 2 am, I thought it was a good idea to put in a good show. On the other hand, there is the Singapore marathon lined up two weeks later that I wanted to participate. However, the cool night air (22.5 deg C) prompted me to give it a go for a sub-5.
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My plan was to make 7:30 pace for the first 5 km and then 7:00 pace up till 32 km. The run went according to plan. Reached the 15 km checkpoint at 1:47 and 34 km mark at 4:07. HR was wonderfully cooperative - within 145 to 155 for the first 15 km.
The problem was that I felt deflated during the 33rd and 34th km - pace slowed to 8:10 and 8:30 respectively. HR had gone up to 150 - 162 from 21 km onwards, and I started to feel that I was going out too hard. Left thigh started cramping towards the 30th km mark. Deja vu. It was like SCSM Dec 2007 all over again.
By the 35th km, I knew I was not able to make sub-5 and what was utmost in my mind was to avoid injury. Hence the disappointing time of 5:33.
What went wrong this time? Two immediate suspects. First, I was over-ambitious, going out too fast. A report I read some time ago mentioned that a mere difference of 15 sec in pace could spell trouble toward the end. I found this out only too well (and too often!). Second, I was unable to find the restrooms that were supposed to be stationed along the route until 32 km. The section from 2km to 32km was along a highway. So obviously no bushes to go behind (some runners went behind cars, but I couldn't bring myself to do that!). And I was looking out for porta toilets. However, trailer toilets were used instead. The urgency could have affected my pace and tempo.
The third reason only dawned upon me two days later. That I relied more on the water points rather than my own water supply. IOW, I switched to water rather than electrolyte drinks, and all my long runs have been on electrolytes! Such a simple mistake that I should have spotted. Lesson learnt.
But the main reason is that I was gunning for a sub-5 target. That will have to wait.
Did I enjoy the race? Emphatically yes. In many ways. It was really fascinating to see the elite runners up close and personal in action. They caught up, in spite of a 90 minutes difference in start time, at the 26th km mark. Their time (as displayed by the accompanying truck) was 1:19!
Interesting to witness the wheelchair racers. The top three were tightly grouped. Seemed to me that the second and third wheelchair racers were drafting off the leader.
It was kinda fun running through the elevated highway. The weather was really good, with a nice breeze.
The organization (except for the toilets) was top notch. The crew set up in really quick time as the area near the Grand Palace was overflowing with crowds paying respect to the King's sister. When I arrived at about 1 am, the tower crane was just lifting the clock into place. All the distance markers were accurately marked out (with acceptable error by my Garmin!). The only exception was the erroneous marker at 41.5km, which read 40.5 km instead.
After the finish line, we were given our medals and two burgers, courtesy of MacDonald's (one of the sponsors). And there were plenty of free food and drinks. When I was leaving, the fun 5 km folks were just coming in. The theme was Go Green, and awards were given for the best dressed teams. So the teams came in all manner of colorful outfits. Wonder if they could run well in those outfits.
What I really appreciated was the special massage treatment. SCSM volunteers would squeezed out massage cream for us. Here, the volunteers actually applied the cream for us and gave a quick calf and hamstring massage while they were at it. It was really wonderful! I am truly appreciative.
There were two young Japanese ladies who had an entire film crew running around and ahead of them, with cameras and video cams. One overtook me towards the end, accompanied by a cameraman. Wonder if he ran all the way?
Then there was this elderly man or woman (I couldn't tell). Short in stature, under 5 feet. Wiry guy whom I overtook at about 5 km, but in turn overtook me later on!
Not to forget the two Singaporeans (from a party of 10!) I met at 7th km. The gentleman was wearing a bright red Sundown finisher tee. The lady finished ahead of me, congratulations! Nice to meet you both.
And it was good to meet Ripley and Litch at the start point. Ripley left me far behind once the starting gun went off.
On another note, the field is about 2,000 marathoners (based on the final results), so relatively small compared to SCSM and Sundown. Most started at 2 am. More than 50 runners from SIN.
End point:
PS: Now I need to get back to Singapore in time for SCSM!
Honor Roll: Saucany PGT5
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